Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Sponsorship can be applied in many avenues, from businesses big and small to helping out a community and even through supporting an animal. Animal sponsorship is not at all new these days, but is slowly gaining more notice that before. With all the talk and concern about our environment, it is no surprise that animal preservation is part of it.

Animal sponsorship can either be for those of domesticated or wild animals. All in all, the same concept on sponsorship is applied and that is helping the living conditions of the sponsee. Domesticated animals include pets, while those of the wild are most often found in zoos or wildlife sanctuaries.

The process in animal sponsorship is basically that same to that of child sponsorship. The only difference is that the sponsee cannot be monitored through the usual programs that are applied to human communities.

Sponsoring an animal still includes three parties – sponsor, organization, sponsee. The sponsor donates funds to the organization responsible for helping out animals, and in turn uses the funds for the well-being of the sponsee, which is either through medical or survival needs.

Benefits does not only apply to the animal

As with every partnership, the benefits of sponsorship have an impact on the sponsor and the involved organization as well. For the sponsors, the reward for saving a life is usually enough, and most often is the motivation in helping the animal in the first place.

In more of a broken-down reason, sponsors either sponsor pets or wild animals that they feel need help but which the sponsor cannot directly give. For pet sponsoring, a donor usually does this when he/she doesn’t have the time or means to take care of a pet. The desire is there but the resources for care are limited. Animal sponsorship is their alternative for situations such as these.

Wildlife preservation also works this way. Only specialists can take care of untamed animals, and help can only be provided by an outside through financial support. This way the organization that takes the sponsorship is equipped to hand out the ‘taking care’ part to those who are experts at it.

With most sponsorship, sponsors are usually recognized through giving out certificates that take not of the help they have given. Other organizations also have newsletters that inform the sponsor on any updates on the sponsee.

Moving on towards the organization, the benefits they acquire through animal sponsorship are also immense. The most important and aspired benefit is to build rapport with the public and spreading their ‘message’ to everyone.

When a sponsor advocates through a chosen organization, that organization gains exposure and will help in advertising itself to other potential donors that may be interested in promoting their cause. With more funds, there is bigger means for helping the animals and the quality is better ensured as with little funding.

Animal sponsorship also creates doors of opportunity for such institutions to ‘step up’ their game and provide a more intricate system in helping improve the quality of life for the animals involved. Using the funds for better equipment, tracking and medical care would become less important so the quality becomes more on the focus.

The potential for bigger funding is also made possible and ultimately results in a three-way return of investment for all parties.